


The Fairy Gardener

by prissygirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Belle's a sassy fairy, Dark Castle, F/M, Fairy Belle, Rumbelle - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2018-03-25 03:11:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3794473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prissygirl/pseuds/prissygirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dark Castle AU - Someone has been messing with Rumpelstiltskin’s garden. He never expected it to be a fairy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The roses had grown back again.

“That’s the fifth time this week!” Rumpelstiltskin growled.

Someone was messing with his garden and he wanted to know who.

Rumpelstiltskin didn’t _want_ roses. He didn’t even want a garden. All he wanted was to be left in peace.

Yet every time he had tried to take a calming walk through the barren wasteland that should have been his grounds, he found that the rose bushes that he had very enthusiastically incinerated with a fireball the day before had grown back.

The growth wasn’t being caused by a natural infestation of any kind. Someone was very purposely sneaking onto his grounds and regrowing them each night. Rumpelstiltskin was not used to being so thoroughly tricked.

He decided he would hide in the garden that night and see who the culprit was. Feeling pleased with his plan, Rumpelstiltskin let out a high-pitched giggle and sent a round of fireballs at the offensive flowers, smirking as they went up in flames and smoke.

That night, immediately after dusk, he hid himself along the garden’s stone wall where the shadows would keep him hidden as well as any magic could. He leaned against the wall and waited.

And waited.

He was halfway asleep when the tiny flutter of wings roused him. Rumpelstiltskin blinked his eyes a couple times and tried to focus in the dark.

For a moment, he thought he had imagined the sound, but then a streak of brilliant white light shot past him. The light made a circle around the dead roses before finally settling on the charred remains of a rosebush.

It was a tiny fairy.

Rumpelstiltskin _hated_ fairies.

This fairy was female and had long chestnut hair that fell down her back in soft waves. Her dress was a golden yellow that stood out in the night while her silvery blue wings actually gave off a shimmering glow. 

He didn’t recognize her, so he knew she wasn’t part of Blue’s inner circle. This fact did nothing to raise his opinion of her, however.

Creeping out of his hiding place, he was getting ready to scare the pixie dust out of her when he heard it.

Sniffling. The fairy was crying over the dead rosebushes.

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes. A sentimental fairy was hardly going to deter him. He took a step closer, accidentally stepping on a dead leaf which let out a barely noticeable crunch.

In the stillness of the night, however, the sound was deafening.

The fairy rounded on him, her wings flapping agitatedly. Her gaze fell on him and the ferocity within her eyes was so intense, that even though her whole body was no bigger than his hand, Rumpelstiltskin found himself taking a step back.

“How could you?” she yelled, her voice no less powerful despite coming from such a tiny person. “I’m trying to help you, you stupid man!”

Rumpelstiltskin was speechless. No one had dared talk to him that way for years, perhaps decades even. He tried to sneer back at her, but his voice came out a bit less intimidating than he had hoped.

“Do you know who I am, fairy? I’m the – “

“Yes, yes, the all-powerful and evil Dark One, I know.” She flew closer to him, coming within inches of his face. “That doesn’t mean you have the right to kill my flowers,” she scolded.

“But it’s _my_ garden.” He tried not to wince at how petulant he sounded.

“Well, you don’t do a very good job of taking care of it,” she huffed. “It’s barely even a garden. It’s more of a wasteland.”

“I like it that way,” he snarled. He wasn’t even sure why they were having this conversation. Hadn’t he been about to scare her away with a fireball just minutes ago?

Rumpelstiltskin couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something strangely intriguing about the little fairy. She should have been terrified of him, yet here she was standing – for lack of a better term – her ground against him. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her tiny wings beat a staccato through the air.

The two simply glared at each other for a while, both trying to stare the other one into admitting the error of their ways.

Or at the very least, trying to see who would blink first.

Growing tired of this game, Rumpelstiltskin was the first to break the silence. “Now look here, dearie. These grounds belong to the Dark Castle and the Dark Castle belongs to me,” he said, gesturing at himself with both thumbs. “Now that means you’re trespassing and I am well within my rights to blow you to fairy smithereens if you don’t vacate my premises immediately.”

Her only reply was a “harrumph.”

Rumpelstiltskin could feel the annoyance begin to creep into this voice. “Go away.”

“No.”

He began gesturing with his hands exasperatedly. “Look, I know you fairies aren’t the brightest creatures in the forest, but this,” he gestured all around them, “is mine. So you can take your little self back to whatever Hell realm the Reul Ghorm presides over and leave me in peace.”

She snorted. It was the first time he had ever heard a fairy snort. Rumpelstiltskin shook his head of the thought. Snorting or not, she needed to go.

For a moment, he thought his words had finally sunk into her tiny fairy brain. She began to fly away from him and he was just about to congratulate himself on his victory when she lowered herself onto the nearby rosebush again and began picking up bits of charred rose petals.

“What do you think you are doing?” he spat out.

She didn’t even give him the courtesy of turning around, addressing him over her shoulder as she continued to work. “Tending to your garden, of course. I should have thought that would have been obvious.”

“You do realize I will keep destroying your flowers, don’t you?”

“And you do realize that I’ll keep bringing them back? Honestly, you’d be better off just accepting my help. It would save you an awful lot of work.”

A headache was beginning to form somewhere deep in his skull and he pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping to alleviate the building pressure.

“What do you want?” he asked.

His tone was even and calm, though it had a hint of resignation to it. She turned around this time, looking him directly in the eyes as she spoke.

“I want to stay here,” she said. “In your garden.”

Of all the things he had expected her to say, Rumpelstiltskin had not expected that.

“What would you want to do that for?” he asked in disbelief.

She looked down at her bare feet, one of which she was dragging back and forth in the ashes of the plant.

“Let’s just say I don’t want to go back to Blue’s Hell realm.” Her voice was quiet and for the first time Rumpelstiltskin had to strain his ears to hear her.

“Not a fan of the fairy queen?” he sneered.

“No,” she admitted. “She’s not really a fan of me either for that matter.”

The tiny seed of an idea began to sprout in Rumpelstiltskin’s mind. He had operated for many years under the philosophy of “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”.  And as it happened, there was no one he considered his enemy more than the Blue Fairy.

As much as he didn’t like the idea of a bad-mannered fairy flying around his grounds freely, the chance to learn more about Blue – her strengths and, more importantly, her weaknesses – was too good an opportunity to pass up.

“Perhaps we could arrange a deal, little one.” He gave her his best shark-like grin.

But instead of inspiring the usual fear, the fairy only beamed back at him, her inner happiness displayed by the outer glow that began to form around her.

“You’ll let me stay?” she asked, seeming awestruck by his words.

“I suppose my grounds are rather in need of a gardener.” He began to strut around the area in front of her, gesturing flamboyantly as he took on the persona of the dealmaker. “Just because I’m a beast, doesn’t mean my estate has to look monstrous.”

The fairy giggled. Rumpelstiltskin turned his head around quickly, his eyes wide in surprise. “Well – as I was saying,” he faltered momentarily, thrown off by her strange behavior yet again, “I will let you stay here and tend the gardens as you see fit. But in return, you must help me with something.”

Her eyes narrowed for a moment and for the first time that night, she regarded him warily. “What is it?”

“Just a favor, which I will collect in time,” he said nonchalantly. He had hoped she would be so grateful to stay that she would agree to his conditions immediately. But based on the skeptical look he was receiving from her, he very much doubted she would.

“My brain may be small, but it’s not non-existent. I’m not agreeing to any deal with the Dark One until I know the exact details.”

He grumbled a bit under his breath, but finally gave in, trying to keep his resentment towards Reul Ghorm from coloring his voice and failing spectacularly. “I require some information about the Blue Fairy.”

The little fairy actually had the audacity to roll her eyes at him. “Well why didn’t you just say so in the first place?”

She gave him a big smile. “It’s a deal, Imp.”

Rumpelstiltskin blinked, more than surprised at her easy acceptance of his terms. However, he wasn’t about to complain and give her a chance to change her mind either.

“I think this should be a very beneficial arrangement for both of us, Miss – “ He faltered for a moment, realizing he didn’t know her name.

“My name is Bluebelle,” she said with a solemnity that didn’t befit such a ridiculous name in Rumpelstiltskin’s opinion. “But you may call me Belle.”

He gave her a deep bow which she returned with a curtsey, her bright blue eyes sparkling with happiness.

“Well then Belle, welcome to the Dark Castle.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> twuwuvdearie prompted: It's been a couple of weeks since Fairy!Belle started living in the Dark Castle. What happens when a person coming to make a deal with Rumple sees her fluttering innocently by?

Belle’s first few weeks as the Dark One’s gardener passed by peacefully. The garden came to life under her touch, blooming like never before. Flowers and plants of every type covered the grounds, ranging from the delicate moss that now covered the castle walls to the large and shady grove of trees that had seemed to pop up almost overnight.

Rumplestiltskin – though he would never admit it to anyone, especially Belle – actually found himself enjoying the transformation as he took his daily walk through the garden one morning. The sun had only been up a short time, but Belle was already hard at work. She gave him a bright smile when she saw him approach, causing him to momentarily falter in his steps.

“Do you like them?” The fairy gestured towards the new lilacs she had recently planted, her wings beating happily.

He sniffed. “I detest purple.”

To his surprise, Belle’s smile only grew wider. “I’m glad. That’s exactly why I planted them.”

Before Rumplestiltskin could form a response, she winked at him and fluttered off to tend to another bunch of flowers.

He shot a glare at her back as she flew away. It was just his luck that he had ended up with the cheekiest fairy in the entire Enchanted Forest. Despite his best attempts to throw her off guard, she never failed to match him quip for quip.

It was a bit disconcerting, if he was honest. As was her continued presence at the Dark Castle. It had been several hundred years since Rumplestiltskin had shared his space with another individual. Despite the fact that he found Belle to be entertaining on occasion, he still wasn’t quite sure if he particularly _liked_ having her around all the time.

For the most part, he tried not to dwell on such thoughts, and life at the Dark Castle went on – for the most part – as it had for centuries before.

It was nearly a month into Belle’s stay before their first visitor came. Regina swanned in as usual, a malicious smile on her face as she greeted her former teacher. She was grinning like a cat that had gotten the cream – an expression which never boded well for anyone unlucky enough to be around the evil queen when she wore it.

Rumplestiltskin groaned internally. It was going to be one of _those_ days then.

“I just saw the oddest thing in your garden, Rumple. Not only is it covered with flowers, but it seems as if you have a little fairy doing your gardening for you.”

He mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. Regina held a hand up to her ear. “What was that?” she asked, her voice cloyingly sweet.

“It concerns a deal,” he said through gritted teeth.

“But you don’t make deals with fairies. I’m pretty sure that was covered in our first lesson.”

He gave her a sharp grin. “The one who makes the rules usually gets to _break_ the rules, dearie.”

Regina shrugged and leaned against his table. “It just seemed rather out of character for you.” She put her hand on her heart and fluttered her eyelashes at him innocently. “I was worried.”

“I’m truly touched,” he said drily, turning away from her and back to his spinning wheel. “Is there something you came for or were you just immediately seized with the need for my immensely enjoyable company?”

He could practically hear Regina roll her eyes behind him.

“I was wondering if you still had those poisoned combs. I need them for a – present.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled as he began to spin. “Snow White’s birthday, is it?”

“I wouldn’t be a very good stepmother if I didn’t give the little princess exactly what she deserved now, would I?”

He merely shook his head. “Unfortunately, dearie, I traded those a while back.”

 “Poisoned darts?”

He shook his head again.

“Poison anything?”

He sighed. “Didn’t I teach you how to brew several good poisons?”

Regina looked down and began examining her nails. “I prefer not to smell like death.”  
  
“It wears off.”

“After three days!” She glared at him. “Some of us have an image to uphold.”

He snorted. “Your loss then, dearie. I don’t have time to brew any this month, so you’ll just have to come up with another way to commit filicide.”

Regina stomped her foot a bit. “Fine, I’ll just be on my way then, since you so clearly want to get rid of me.”

He turned towards her, a mocking grin on his face, and clapped his hands. “After all these years, you’re finally learning!”

She shot him a withering look and spun on her heels. Halfway to the door, she stopped. Her lips curled into a viscous little smile.

“Perhaps I’ll ask the little fairy if she knows of any poison plants around here.”

Rumplestiltskin felt shivers go up his spine. He refused to show his concern on his face, however.

“Do what you like, dearie.” He waved his hand in the general direction of the garden. “I doubt she’ll be much help to you anyway. She seems to be occasionally troubled by these things called _morals_.”

Regina only smiled and strode out of the room, the door swinging shut loudly behind her.

He waited a full minute before snapping his fingers and instantly appearing in the garden behind a large rosebush.

No one was going to mess with his annoying fairy but him.

From his hiding spot, he could see them clearly, though he couldn’t hear them very well. He was loathe to cast any sort of listening spell, lest Regina realize he was eavesdropping.

He couldn’t have her thinking he was concerned about Belle. And he definitely couldn’t have Belle thinking he was concerned about _her_.

Knowing Regina as he did, he was fairly certain of how the entire conversation would go anyway. His former pupil was fairly predictable.

She would of course try and ingratiate herself with Belle, trying to appeal to the fairy’s better nature by appealing for her help. How she was going to convince her that a poisoned plant was needed for altruistic purposes was beyond him, but he had no doubt Regina would think of something. Then when Belle would see through her ruse and steadfastly refuse to help her, the queen would throw a fit and proceed to either blackmail and/or bully her way through the situation – likely with a fireball or two –  until she got what she wanted.

At which point, he supposed he’d have to intervene, in order to save Belle from being burnt to a fairy crisp.

So it was rather surprising when he saw the pair part amicably. Regina even gave a slight – if mocking – bow to the little fairy as she left, disappearing in an overly showy puff of smoke.

Once he was sure she had indeed left and wasn’t hiding somewhere, he waved his hand and popped up in the spot Regina had recently vacated. He thought that it might surprise Belle and allow him to get the full story out of her, sans her usual sarcasm, but she didn’t even blink when she saw him appear out of nowhere.

“Oh, there you are,” she said pleasantly. “Your friend was just here.”

He scoffed. “Friend is rather too ambitious a term. I prefer to think of her as ‘someone-I-don’t-wish-dead’.”

Belle giggled, as he thought she might. She nodded approvingly. “Good, she was a rather beastly woman. I had hoped you had better taste than that.” She flew off of the large sunflower she had been resting on. “She asked my help in locating something.”

“I see,” he said, trying to sound uninterested.

“Do you want to know what I told her?”  
  
“Only if you want to, dearie. I really don’t care one way or the other.”

Belle smirked. “Alright then. I’ll just go back to my gardening then.”

She had only flown a few feet before Rumplestiltskin rushed up in front of her. “Fine, I want to know. Stop your gloating and just tell me already.”

Her smile brightened. “I told her about a spot in the forest where she could find a deadly plant called markweed.”

Rumplestiltskin’s eyes grew wide. “But that’s poison ivy. She’ll end up – “

He stopped, eyeing the fairy appraisingly. “She’s going to find herself with a bit of a problem if she touches it.”

Belle merely shrugged. “I suppose she’ll learn her lesson then, won’t she?”

There was a pause while the two regarded each other before both bursting into laughter.

Anyone passing by – the chances of which happening were very low considering whose home it was – would have been more than surprised to see the Dark One exchanging giggles with a fairy and, perhaps even more so, to see the fairy herself grinning back at him.

However, no one was passing by and apart from Regina, who was too busy wondering why she suddenly felt rather itchy, no one even knew that Rumplestiltskin was now living, more or less, with a fairy.

And for the first time in a very, very long time, the Dark One found that he didn’t mind the company.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fairy Gardener prompt: A massive storm hits the Dark Castle. Rumple fears for his little fairy's safety.

Rumplestiltskin wasn’t worried.

To be worried, one had to care about something or someone. And he definitely didn’t care about Belle, the little fairy that had wormed her way into his garden and into his –

The windows of the Great Hall rattled against the pounding wind and rain, making Rumplestiltskin jump where he sat at the spinning wheel, and causing him to lose track of his thoughts.

Oh yes, he remembered. He definitely didn’t care and therefore could not be worried, in any way, about Belle.

Fairies were resourceful creatures, he told himself. They lived in nature and communicated with it in a special way. Surely they could keep themselves dry and protected during a rainstorm.

He glanced back at the windows, watching almost transfixed as a bolt of lightning illuminated the sky. Against his better judgment, he got up and walked over to look out. The wind whipped through his grounds, tossing leaves and other debris through the air. Rumplestiltskin thought he saw a number of Belle’s flowers being carried away as well.

She would be heartbroken to see her carefully tended garden destroyed. Gardening wasn’t just a job for her – it was a passion. He could tell by the way she lovingly cared for all the flowers, always making sure that they had enough nutrients, sufficient access to the sun, and plenty of water.

He glanced up at the sky, which showed no sign of ending its torrential downpour.

Well, Rumplestiltskin thought, they would certainly have enough water today.

An image of Belle’s sad little face as she saw her flooded garden popped into his mind. He ruthlessly shoved it away and stalked back to his spinning wheel, vowing that he was not going to let thoughts of an insignificant fairy distract him.

Less than two minutes later, there was a clap of thunder so powerful that it rattled the Dark Castle itself. Rumple’s thoughts immediately jumped back to the fairy. He imagined Belle terrified and clinging to her beloved rosebushes before being overpowered by the howling wind, screaming as she was carried off into the darkness.

If anyone else had been in the Great Hall, they would have seen the Dark One stewing at his spinning wheel one moment and gone the next.

It didn’t take too long to find her. He stumbled towards the tree that he knew Belle had taken up residence in. She had settled into a particularly roomy hole inside its trunk, creating a little nest of sorts for herself. The spot had turned out to be a highly sought piece of real estate, which she had learned after a particularly ambitious squirrel had tried, and failed, to chase her out of it.  

Rumplestiltskin had decided that she would most likely be holed up there. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark as he peered into the trunk, hoping she was safely within.

To his relief, he saw a tiny figure huddled inside. Despite the darkness of the storm, he could see the expression on her face. She was shivering uncontrollably, but there was still that determined look on her face that he had come to expect. Belle was a fighter. For some reason, he found himself rather proud of her in that moment.

“Lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it?” he yelled over the roar of the wind and rain.

She looked up in surprise, her expression changing to one of confusion. “What are you doing out here?”

He shrugged, ignoring the pelting rain that had already drenched him from head to toe in the brief time he had been outside. “I fancied a walk.”

Belle let out a noise that was halfway between a laugh and a sob.

“You’re completely mad.” Her eyes were wide, but he could tell they held no fear.

“That’s probably true.” Rumplestiltskin extended a hand forward. “But come to the castle with me anyway.”

“You – you want me to come inside with you?” Her shivers were interfering with her speech now, and it caused Rumplestiltskin to suddenly feel angry.

“Well I didn’t come out here for my health, did I?” he growled.

A small smile ghosted across her mouth. “Alright.” She nodded. “Thank you.”

He grunted and with a wave of his hand, they were both sitting in front of the fireplace in the Great Hall.

Belle blinked, finding herself on top of the soft velvet cushion of a burgundy armchair. She looked over to Rumplestiltskin who sat in another matching chair.

Despite the warmth of the fire, they were both still wet. Rumplestiltskin snapped his fingers, drying them both and leaving them swaddled in fluffy blankets.

Only Belle’s head stuck out, the rest of her body covered.

“Are you trying to smother me to death?” she asked.

Rumplestiltskin was about to snap that she could just as well go back out into the storm if she disliked his hospitality when he saw the merriment in her eyes and realized she was teasing.

“I figure you’ll get into less trouble that way,” he said smugly.

She snorted. “I’m hardly big enough to do any sort of real damage.”

“No, but I’d rather not awaken to find my entire castle turned into a greenery.”

His comment gained a small chuckle from her. “I suppose that’s fair.”

They both settled into a comfortable silence as they watched the flames flicker. Outside, the storm continued to howl and rage.

But neither noticed.

After a time, Rumplestiltskin conjured some food and drink for them, and they spent the majority of the night alternating between enjoying the companionable silence and trading the occasional quip. Belle even shared some stories of her childhood, a number of which involved sneaking behind Blue’s back for some reason or other.

Rumplestiltskin found himself laughing at her tales, which only encouraged her to tell more. At some point in the evening, he began telling her about some of his more entertaining deals. They laughed together over his invention of the Lobster-Quadrille and the Manchurian Mambo, though Belle seemed rather skeptical that Rumplestiltskin could dance at all, let alone come up with them.

“I’ll have you know, dearie, that the Dark One has a reputation for being an accomplished dancer.”

Belle looked unconvinced. “Where? In Oz?”

He pouted. “Wonderland, if you must know. But that’s beside the point.” He looked at her sideways. “How do you know so much about other realms anyway?”

For the first time in several hours, Belle grew serious. “I’ve just heard things, that’s all. Blue likes to flap her mouth as much as her wings sometimes.”

She was lying and Rumplestiltskin knew it. Blue was as tight-lipped as fairies came. It was the one similarity he shared with the Reul Ghorm; neither gave away information unless it would benefit them to do so.

Since her arrival, Belle had done nothing to earn his distrust. However, there were clearly things that she was being careful to keep from him. He had yet to ask her to fulfill her end of the bargain. It wasn’t time yet for him to move on the Blue Fairy. Now that he knew Belle wasn’t being completely open with him, Rumplestiltskin realized he may have to make a change to their agreement.

While he had been thinking, several minutes had passed. Belle was gazing into the fire again, the light of the flames dancing across her face.

“Belle,” he said, clearing his throat. “How would you like to stay in the Dark Castle?”

She scrunched her face up at him in confusion. “I had supposed I was already staying until the storm cleared – “

“No, no, no,” Rumplestiltskin interrupted, waving his hands about, “I meant on a regular basis.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You mean, live here with you? Live in the Dark Castle with the Dark One?”

He found her surprised reaction rather comical. “Well I doubt it’ll ruin your reputation any further, considering you’re already working for me. And you know what they say, dearie. In for a penny, in for a pound.”

Belle looked at him curiously. Her gaze finally landed on his eyes and settled there, as if she was trying to read his intention through them.

She must have found what she was looking for because she looked back to the fire and nodded firmly.

“Thank you. That’s very generous of you.”

He scoffed. “Think nothing of it. It’s not like I’m short on space or anything.”

She giggled and he felt the tension in the room begin to breakup.

“That’s true. And you hardly take up much room.”

“Am I getting short jokes?” Rumplestiltskin griped. “From a fairy?” He gave a world-weary sigh. “I suppose it’s for the best. Now that poor abused squirrel can finally have a nice home.”

Belle opened her mouth to speak and Rumplestiltskin knew, without a doubt, that they were about to launch into a very enjoyable argument.

He still didn’t completely trust her. But having her live in his home would make it easier to keep an eye on her. So whatever sort of strange companionship was developing between him and Belle was well within his control.

Rumplestiltskin definitely wasn’t worried.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: When Rumple notices that his gourmet, top quality tea stores are running surprisingly low at quite an alarming rate (even for him), he decides to investigate. First he suspects the Hatter has been pilfering off his tea leaves again, but is surprised to find a fellow tea addict in his little fairy "house mate".

Rumplestiltskin frowned as he stared into his tea cupboard.

There should have been half a box left of his favorite Elderflower tea leaves. But there wasn’t. The box was empty.

It was hardly the first time something of his had gone missing. He was used to the Dark Castle moving things around. In fact, he frequently found objects in places they shouldn’t be, places he knew he never would have ever left them:  potions ingredients in the library, clothes hanging on the staircases, ancient spell books in the bathroom. It irritated him to no end of course, but it helped the days pass by quicker, he supposed. Living alone sometimes required the need for games, even if they were rather annoying ones, played by a gigantic castle that had a mischievous streak.

But despite the castle’s penchant for playing tricks on its master, it knew better than to touch his tea. Rumplestiltskin was not a morning person, had not been a morning person for three hundred years, and had no qualms about being frightfully abusive to the interior of the castle if it were to pull such a reckless stunt. He knew it, and the castle knew it, too.

That meant he’d have to look elsewhere for the culprit. He would almost suspect Jefferson of pilfering his favorite tea – like him, the man had a taste for the finer things in life – but the Mad Hatter hadn’t been to the castle in some weeks now. And to Rumplestiltskin’s knowledge, Regina was still dealing with a rather persistent rash.

That left only one other option. Rumplestiltskin scowled at the empty box.

“Fairy!” he bellowed.

When no flutter of tiny wings approached, he growled, slamming the door of the old oak cupboard closed with a thud.

He appeared in the garden a moment later, glowering with all the ferociousness that his title implied as he stood over Belle, who was watering some daisies with a tiny pitcher.

As his shadow fell over her, she looked up. He saw her take in the look on his face and for once, he was sure she would be properly frightened.

“You’re blocking my sun.”

Lightening-hot anger raced through his veins. “You – you – thief!”

Her mouth fell open. “Excuse me?”

“You stole my tea! Don’t deny it. I’ll see through any of your lies.” He waggled a finger at her. “I should have known a fairy could never be trusted.”

Though he was upset, Rumplestiltskin felt rather vindicated. He had been waiting to catch her in another lie for some time now. He’d even had her move into the castle so that he could watch her more closely. Now that her true nature was finally shining through, he felt that his earlier suspicions about her had been confirmed.

It was good that everything was coming out now, he told himself. He’d almost started to – but no, she was a fairy, and fairies were not to be trusted.

Belle blinked at him and then began to talk slowly, as if to a child. “Are you angry because I’ve been drinking some of your tea?’

“My favorite tea!”

“I see,” Belle replied, still speaking slowly and calmly. It infuriated Rumplestiltskin to no end. She was guilty. He didn’t see how she had any business acting so rational about the whole situation. “Before you turn me into a newt or whatever you’re planning to do, can I ask you just one question?”

He sniffed. “One and one only. You’re lucky I’m feeling generous today.”  
  
“Yes, you’re very kind. My question is this: how was I supposed to know that it was your favorite tea?”

“Well, I – “ Rumplestiltskin stuttered to a stop. He hadn’t really thought of it like that.

“When you invited me to stay in your home, I assumed that I was free to make use of the things within it. Had you told me to not to drink the tea or that it was your favorite type, I of course would have drank something else.”

“But – “

“Furthermore, I think it’s very rude of you to come out here and bully me for something I didn’t even know. The mature thing would have been to discuss the matter calmly before throwing out such beastly accusations.”

Rumplestiltskin felt the last bit of his anger all but fizzle out into an uncomfortable embarrassment. It had been a very long time since he had lived with anyone. He had forgotten that simple communication often prevented issues such as this.

“I suppose that may have been a wiser course of action,” he grumbled. It was as far as he would admit to being wrong. If the little fairy was wise, she would accept his comment for what it was. An apology, of sorts. Or at least the closest she’d ever get from him. He did have a reputation to protect.

Belle seemed to understand his not-quite-apology. She gave him a nod and said, “Are there any other teas or things in the castle that I should stay away from?” She held up a hand as he started to speak. “Apart from the West Wing, of course. You already gave me your “enter upon pain of death” speech. I got it.”

Rumplestiltskin shrugged. “I suppose that’s it.”

“Excellent.” Belle returned to watering the flowers. It was only then that Rumplestiltskin realized that the liquid flowing from the pitcher was not clear. Instead, it was a lovely shade of yellow-brown, fairly similar in shade to…

“Are you watering the flowers with my tea?” he shrieked.

Belle rolled her eyes. “Well I can hardly drink a full pot by myself, now can I? And it would be a waste to just throw it out. At least this way, it’s being put to good use.”

A small headache was beginning to form in Rumplestiltskin’s brain. The tiny woman was infuriating. At this rate, he was fairly certain he would have a migraine bigger than her by the end of the morning.

“In future, perhaps it would be easier if we drank our tea at the same time,” he said, his teeth clenched together. “Then I’ll get my tea and you won’t have to give it to the flowers to avoid wasting it.”

Belle bobbed up and down in the air excitedly. “What a lovely idea! I shall enjoy taking tea with you every day.”

As Rumplestiltskin tried to sputter out that he hadn’t quite meant it _that_ way, he saw a small smirk creep onto Belle’s face.

“Fine,” he said, throwing his hands up in the air. “You’ve already taken over my garden, my home, and my tea cupboard. Why not my teatime too?”

He began to stomp off, aware the whole time of Belle’s laughter behind him.

Stupid fairy, he thought to himself. He shuddered to think what she would take over next.  


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's just a cup, but Rumplestiltskin is going to sulk about it anyway.

There were few people alive who could describe just how childish the Dark One looked while pouting. To Belle, who had lived at the Dark Castle for several months now, the sight was nothing new. To be fair, the centuries-old sorcerer did seem to be improving. He was only throwing tantrums once or twice a week now.

He’s maturing, Belle thought with amusement, lifting her tea-filled thimble to her lips to cover her smile. Sitting across the Great Hall’s dining table from her was a still glowering Dark One, who was directing his most malevolent glare towards her. Belle merely ignored him.

On the table between them lay a delicate white and blue tea cup with a small chip in the rim. The tea cup was not new. The chip, however, was less than five minutes old.

“Do you know what I do to people who break my things?” Rumplestiltskin asked, his voice high pitched and cruel.

As usual, Belle was unfazed. “Skin them for their pelts?”

His eyes narrowed. “I suppose this is the thanks I get for opening up my home and sharing my tea with a mosquito! You repay me by smashing my possessions.”

“It’s chipped, not dead.” Belle waved a hand towards the cup. “You can hardly see it!”

“I think you need your eyesight checked, dearie. That crack is as plain as the bug eyes in your small head.”

One of Belle’s wings twitched in annoyance. “It’s just a cup.”

“But it’s my cup!” Rumplestiltskin said, slamming his palms against the table.

Belle snorted. “I’ve seen the way you treat your things when you’re in a snit. That cup got off lightly.”

His mouth, which had been open to fire back another accusation at her, closed with an audible snap. Belle settled back comfortably against her cushion as Rumplestiltskin stood up and began pacing along the length of the table, muttering under his breath about disrespectful fairies.

If she was honest, she rather enjoyed sparring with him. He was so easy to rile when he got into one of his grumpy moods. He had been in a fine temper all day and Belle knocking over the teacup had been the final straw.

She wasn’t sure what had gotten him so cranky in the first place, but she was hardly going to let him take his frustrations out on her, especially when it had been an accident and she had apologized immediately after. Her suggestion that he fix the cup with magic had been met with a grouchy “harrumph” followed by several minutes of stony silence where Belle drank her tea and Rumplestiltskin glared at her.

She was actually rather glad he had started flinging accusations at her; she’d been growing rather bored with the quiet.

“I suppose it’s my own fault really.”

Rumplestiltskin’s sudden change in tone caught Belle’s attention. She studied him through narrowed eyes. He seemed calm - too calm. In the few months that Belle had been at the Dark Castle, she had learned many things. But above all, she had learned that an overly calm Rumplestiltskin meant only one thing.

The Dark One was up to something.

“I’ve been too lenient with you, I suppose,” he continued, placing a hand on his chest as if the words caused him physical pain. “But all debts must be paid.” His eyes turned to her. “Tell me what you know of the Blue Fairy.”

After months of ignoring her side of their deal, his sudden insistence took Belle by surprise. While it was true that the things she knew about Blue could fill fields of parchments, there were certain secrets she still wasn’t comfortable sharing with Rumplestiltskin. Especially not the one that had led her to the Dark Castle and its surly master in the first place.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she met his eyes with a steely expression of her own. “You’re going to have to be more specific than that, unless you’re actually interested in hearing about Blue’s fascination with pickled herring.”

Rumplestiltskin wrinkled his nose. “I think I’ll pass.”

“Then what do you want to know? You’re her greatest enemy, though there’s no shortage of us who’ve realized what a hypocritical tyrant she is. I’m sure there’s a great many things I could tell you about her, but I can’t think of one that would actually help you defeat her.” Belle shrugged her shoulders and let an uncertain look cross her face. “But ask away, for what it’s worth.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rumplestiltskin studying her closely. She tried not to squirm under the stare, conscious that any fidgeting on her part might betray her.

After what seemed like an eternity, Rumplestiltskin sniffed dismissively. “I suppose you’re right. No point wasting your limited brain cells until I have more specific questions in mind.” He clapped his hands, and in an instant, he was the playful trickster and dealmaker again. “Besides, I have an appointment to get to this afternoon and we’ll be late if we don’t get going.”

Belle sat up suddenly, nearing dropping her thimble. “You want me to come with you?”

He glanced down at her condescendingly. “You’ve been asking for weeks,” he said plainly, as if that was clear enough reason for his sudden change of heart.

“When do we leave?” Belle asked, bouncing up on the balls of her feet. While she didn’t trust his abrupt change in mood anymore than she trusted the Dark Castle’s hallways to lead to the same rooms every time, she also was not going to turn down a chance to have an adventure. While it was likely she’d have to be on her guard in case he tried to use her as a bargaining chip in some deal, she was fairly confident she could find her way home from any corner of the Enchanted Forest if that happened.

Though she once might have thought it strange to think of the Dark Castle as home, she had found a freedom here that she had never felt anywhere else. Growing up with the other fairies, she had always felt that she didn’t quite measure up somehow, that her dreams of wanting to have adventures and be a hero somehow made her less than the others.

For all of Rumplestiltskin’s bluster and complaining, he had never asked her to be something she wasn’t. On the contrary, he seemed rather amused by her, though he tried to hide it. She wouldn’t quite call them friends, though she supposed that’s what they were, in a strange sort of way. Somehow living with the Dark One was an easier idea to swallow than being his friend.

“Momentarily,” Rumplestiltskin said, the corner of his mouth twitching with the hint of a smile. “I need a few things first. Try not to explode into pixie dust in the meantime.”

He wandered across the room to his cabinets. Within moments, he was muttering under his breath as he dug through the crowded shelves, searching for whatever magical trinket he was hoping to pawn off this time.

Belle smiled at the familiar scene. In spite of everything, she had grown rather fond of the cranky beast. And despite the odd circumstances that had brought her to the Dark Castle, she knew there was nowhere else she’d rather be.

“Ah ha!” Rumplestiltskin yelled triumphantly, clutching an empty glass vial in his hand. “Gotcha.” He looked over his shoulder and barked, “Are you ready yet?”

Belle rolled her eyes. “In spite of everything indeed,” she mumbled to herself.

“What was that?”

“Nothing,” Belle replied sweetly. She stood up, wings flapping excitedly. “I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So...it's been awhile! If anyone is still reading this, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I will be finishing this story in the next few months now that I've finally figured out the plot :D


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rumplestiltskin takes Belle on her first adventure.

“This is humiliating.”

Rumplestiltskin suppressed a smirk as he gazed down at the little fairy tucked into his shirt pocket. The moment he’d teleported them to the Glowerhaven bazaar, he’d promptly shoved Belle inside, ignoring her tiny shouts of protest.

“How am I supposed to see anything in here?” Belle demanded, her voice nearly squeaking with outrage. “I can’t see anything through this silk!”

Rumplestiltskin tutted softly to her as he moved through the marketplace. “You didn’t think I was going to let you fly about freely, did you? I do have an image to uphold.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Belle cross her arms. “You should have just left me at home then.”

“But watching you suffer is so much more fun!”

It wasn’t the real reason he’d brought her, of course. After her little performance that morning, Rumplestiltskin wanted to keep a close eye on her. He’d spent centuries studying the craft of half-truths and near truths, and could spot an omission half a realm away. Belle had neither his talent nor his experience in twisting words. She was definitely hiding something. Therefore, the only logical solution was to keep her close at hand.

The fact that it annoyed her was just a bonus.

Belle’s head popped out from his pocket. “Where are we?”

He frowned and reached to push her back in. She slapped his hand away with a surprisingly powerful smack.

“Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “But you’ll go back in when I tell you to.”

“Uh-huh,” Belle said, her attention already lost to the sights and sounds of the marketplace. “Sure.”

As Rumplestiltskin navigated his way through the stalls, ignoring the stares of those they passed, Belle peppered him with questions about the people and goods around them. She wanted to know everything and listened in rapt attention as he begrudgingly answered her questions. In some ways, it was rather nice to have someone to share his knowledge with. Not that he dared admit that to her. He’d never have a free moment to himself again.

They were almost to the edge of the market before he found the stall he was looking for. Sellers who got to the square in the early hours of the morning got first pick at where to set up their stands, usually choosing to set up shop towards the center of the market. However, not every seller was an early riser, and the man he was looking for had clearly been one of the last to arrive.

The stall looked as if it had been set up in a hurry, though Rumplestiltskin knew from experience that it would look just the same had the man been there since dawn. Dozens of brass plates were stacked upon each other haphazardly while a rusting horseshoe hung out of an ugly old bronze pot. While Belle’s attention immediately went to the handful of books strewn across the table, Rumplestiltskin eyed the silver pocket watch peeking out from under a large velvet top hat and the vial labeled “Drink Me” that was in danger of falling off the table altogether.

“It’s a miracle you can find anything in this mess,” Rumplestiltskin groused to the man behind the table. “Let alone sell it.”

Jefferson looked up from the candelabra he had been polishing, a wide grin spreading across his face as he saw Rumplestiltskin. “Mon ami, you are here!” When his gaze fell on Belle, his grin widened further. “And you brought a little friend! Bonjour, mademoiselle.”

Belle giggled as Jefferson extended a finger to shake her hand. Rumplestiltskin rolled his eyes. “Since when are you French?” he growled.

Jefferson beamed at him. “Yesterday. Or was it the day before? I can hardly keep track.” He looked back to Belle and held up a book. “Next week I’m going to be Florinese.”

Rumplestiltskin grabbed the book out of his hands. “That’s not real. It’s from a book, you nitwit.”

“Aren’t we all?”

“From books?” Belle asked confused.

“No,” Jefferson said with a delighted laugh, “nitwits!”

Feeling a headache coming on, Rumplestiltskin rubbed at his temple. He always forgot how draining being around Jefferson could be.

“Oh, but where are my manners?” Jefferson gasped. “I haven’t introduced myself.” He bowed low to Belle. “Everyone calls me Jefferson. You can as well.”

Belle coughed to cover a laugh. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Belle. I’m - ”

“She tends to my garden,” Rumplestiltskin interrupted, trying to get the situation back under control.

Jefferson’s eyebrows lifted. “Your garden, huh?” He looked Belle over speculatively. “Does she tend anything else?”

“Enough chitchat,” Rumplestiltskin said quickly, wincing at the way his voice cracked. “I’m here for the...item...you procured for me,” he added, feeling Belle’s interested gaze on him.

Jefferson stared at him blankly. “What item?’

“The ‘special’ item,” Rumplestiltskin said, raising an eyebrow at Jefferson.

“Ohhh,” Jefferson said, understanding dawning in his eyes. “It’s a guessing game!”

“What?” Rumplestiltskin sputtered.

“I do love a good guessing game! Who’ll go first?”

Belle tapped Rumplestiltskin on the chest. “I think you’re going to have to be more direct.”

“Yes, thank you,” Rumplestiltskin snapped. It was just his luck that the only portal jumper he knew was completely mad.

Jefferson was tapping his foot impatiently now. “Are we going to play or not? Otherwise, I better get back to preparing the flower you wanted from Oz.”

Rumplestiltskin let out a long-suffering groan as Belle asked excitedly, “What flower?”

The hatter’s eyes lit with excitement. “It’s the purple kadapul. They’re incredibly rare because they only bloom at midnight, and wither again with the dawn. I had a hell of a time finding this one. I kept accidentally wandering into poppy fields and - ”  
  
“Yes, yes, alright,” Rumplestiltskin interrupted. “Just give me the flower and we’ll be off.”

Turning his back to them, Jefferson began rummaging around on the back table. Within a few minutes, he turned back around, holding a small paper package wrapped in string. He handed it over to Rumplestiltskin, giving him a small salute. “See you around then. I’ll come for tea next week.”

“No.”

“Ah, tomorrow then?”

“You most certainly will not -”

“Please do,” Belle said, interrupting Rumplestiltskin. “We have a wonderful Elderflower tea you simply must try and - “

Rumplestiltskin waved his hand and they vanished from the square, effectively cutting Belle off midsentence. They appeared outside a row of shabby houses on the edge of the city.

Belle let out a frustrated huff. “You didn’t even let me say goodbye!”

“Save your tears for watering the geraniums, dearie.”

He untied the string from the package Jefferson had given him and poured a few of the petals into the vial he had brought from home. After tying the package up again, he tucked it into the top of his boot and put the vial in his shirt pocket next to Belle. “Don’t break it,” he said snidely.

Belle sighed in exasperation. “For the last time, it was only chipped!”

He grunted in reply before walking up the steps of the house in front of them and and knocking three times on the door.

“I thought you usually just poofed into people’s houses,” Belle said. “Aren’t you always going on about how it’s better to surprise your victims and throw them off balance?”

“Usually,” Rumplestiltskin grinned, “but this one’s already a bit...nervous.”

The front door opened then, revealing a well-dressed, but scrawny-looking gentleman with glasses. He took one look at Rumplestiltskin and yelped before slamming the door in their faces.

“See,” Rumplestiltskin said, gesturing to the door. “Nerves of butter that one.” His pushed Belle’s head down gently with his forefinger. “Now keep out of sight or I’ll pluck your wings off.”

Belle stuck her tongue out at him, but stayed down. A second later, the door opened a crack before slowly swinging open. The man poked his head around the corner and eyed Rumplestiltskin anxiously.

“S-s-sorry about that. Nervous reflex, I suppose,” he said, chuckling uncomfortably.

Rumplestiltskin gave the man what he considered to be a rather magnanimous nod. “Quite understandable. Now, if you’re ready to do business?”

The other man nodded vigorously. “Yes. Of course.”

With a side glance at Belle, who was listening intently to their conversation, Rumplestiltskin grinned. “Well, then lead the way, Dr. Jekyll.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Check out this amazing art that nropay drew for TFG on tumblr! I love it so much I just had to include it with the chapter. You can find it here: http://nropay.tumblr.com/post/166532877235/i-reread-the-fairy-gardener-by-prissyhalliwell-in


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fairy Gardener prompt: Rumple takes Belle with him on a deal but somehow it doesn't go as he intended and he's much more lenient than he usually is and absolutely no one got turned into a snail. (Bonus points if she hides out in his pocket and talks to him while he's dealing and the person thinks the Dark One is extra crazy today.)

Jekyll’s lab looked much the same as it had the other times Rumplestiltskin had visited. The lab was spotless and organized within an inch of its life. He toyed with the idea of having Jekyll organize Jefferson’s supplies, but figured that much order would give the Hatter an aneurysm.

They had followed Jekyll up the narrow staircase into his laboratory ten minutes ago. Since then, it had taken almost all of Rumplestiltskin’s attention to keep Belle from jumping out of his pocket to examine the doctor’s equipment more closely.

He supposed he couldn’t blame her. Technology like this was foreign to the Enchanted Forest, and only worked here because of the spells he had woven over them. He’d seen the potential in Jekyll during his first visit and had agreed to give the man the assistance he required to complete his serum.

What Jekyll didn’t know, and Rumplestiltskin had no intention of telling him, was that he’d had his eye on the doctor for a while now. Rumors had been circulating for months about a mad alchemist who had escaped from another realm after some trouble with a potion. Though the words “scientist” and “serum” would be more accurate, the rest of the information had been sound. It hadn’t taken much to convince Jefferson to confide in Jekyll one night at the local tavern about the powerful sorcerer who made impossible things possible, and three nights later, Jekyll - desperate and sleep deprived - had called upon him to make a deal. Not that the man knew exactly what the deal was of course, but that was hardly Rumplestiltskin’s problem.

“I take it you’ve f-f-found the final ingredient then,” Jekyll asked, pacing nervously in front of a window at the far end of the room. The man had subconsciously put as much distance between himself and the Dark One as possible. It was a common enough occurrence that Rumplestiltskin didn’t even bother teasing the doctor about it.

Besides, he was hoping to keep this visit as brief as possible. Belle was behaving herself at the moment, but there was no telling what mischief the little fairy would cause if she got bored.

“Wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin replied waspishly. He skipped a few steps closer to Jekyll's workbench to look at the solution bubbling there. Without the final ingredient, the liquid was a sickly-looking green color. Hardly appetizing, in his opinion. Then again, he wasn’t the one who would be drinking it. At least, not yet.  
  
“Pssst,” Belle hissed. “Don’t forget to ask for something in return.”

Rumplestiltskin glared down into his pocket. “I have done this a few times, you know.”

She shrugged. “You hadn’t mentioned anything yet so - "

He sniffed. “That’s where you amateurs make your mistake. Nine times out of ten, it’s better to deal for something in the future.” He gestured a thumb back towards Jekyll. “If these idiots had anything worth bartering now, they wouldn’t be desperate enough to call me.”

Jekyll's voice carried from across the room. “S-s-sorry, did you say something?”

Rumplestiltskin raised his voice. “Merely talking to the potion, dearie. It helps keep the solution calm and balanced.”

Belle slapped her hands over her mouth as a giggle escaped her.

“Did the serum just...laugh?” Jekyll's voice sounded bewildered.

“Like I said,” Rumplestiltskin sneered, his voice dripping with disdain, “it needs calming down.”

He beckoned Jekyll forward, holding back a chuckle as the man visibly steeled himself to approach him. With a flourish of his hand, Rumplestiltskin withdrew the vial.

Jekyll looked at it dubiously. “Flower petals?”

“What? Not dead enough for you?” He smiled as Jekyll flinched. “Trust me, dearie. I’ve made a potion or two over the years.” Uncorking the vial, he let several of the crushed petals fall into the beaker holding the solution. He saw Belle peek over the top of his pocket, and the three of them held their breath for what felt like an eternity until the serum turned from green to a dark, blood red.

He heard Belle gasp even as Jekyll let out a whoop of joy beside him.

“It’s finished! We’ve done it.” Grabbing the beaker, Jekyll held it up to the light. “My god, it’s beautiful.”

Beautiful seemed a stretch, Rumplestiltskin thought. The violent red color of the potion was one he’d never seen in nature, giving it an unnatural aura as if went against the laws of nature itself. He supposed it did in many ways; the things they were about to separate were never meant to be apart.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Bottom’s up, dearie.”

Jekyll turned wide, bespectacled eyes to him in horror. “Not without the proper testing! I must make sure the solution won’t be toxic to drink.”

Rumplestiltskin fought the urge to sigh. “If it turns out to be poisonous, I can easily make you an antidote. Consider it a perk to having an all-powerful sorcerer as your business partner.”

“But what if it kills me instantly?”

Feeling his patience all but evaporate, Rumplestiltskin bared his teeth at Jekyll. “Then I’ll make the antidote quickly.”

Jekyll gulped, looking from the malevolent-looking potion to Rumplestiltskin and back. “Well, I suppose when you put it that way…” He made a gesture over his chest that Rumplestiltskin assumed was either religious or superstitious, and threw back the serum in one large gulp.

The change was immediate. Jekyll’s entire body began to writhe, and the empty beaker crashed to the floor as he doubled over. A pain-filled groan left his lips as he sank to the ground, clutching his stomach.

“Do something!” Belle pleaded, but Rumplestiltskin merely stared in horrified fascination at the sight before him. He could no sooner stop the transformation then he could predict its exact outcome. He had a fairly strong hunch as to what would happen to Jekyll, but when unknown science and magic collided, it was always best to use a guinea pig first.

Jekyll’s skin started to ripple and he began to claw at his arms, his chest, anywhere that he could reach. Then, in what was one of the strangest things Rumplestiltskin had witnessed in his 300 years of life, Jekyll split in two - one version of him falling forward onto the floor in a sprawl while another fell backwards onto his ass.

For the space of a heartbeat, no one said anything. Then, all four of them - Belle, Rumplestiltskin, and the two Jekyll’s - started screaming at once.

Ten minutes and three calming spells later, the four were gathered around a cleared workbench as Rumplestiltskin ran some magical tests on the two clones. Belle perched on the edge of the table furthest from the two Jekyll’s, eyeing them warily. The two men ignored her for the most part, suspicious enough of each other that they didn’t seem overly worried about the strange little person who had popped out of Rumplestiltskin's pocket halfway through their separation.

From what his diagnostic spells were telling him, the two Jekyll’s were nearly identical physiologically, though both differed in appearance just enough to convince him that neither was the original Jekyll. The doctor had literally been split in half. The only real question was which traits belonged to which clone.

As hesitant as they were around each other, neither version seemed overly fond of Rumplestiltskin at the moment either, most likely due to his involvement in their split. This wouldn’t have bothered him much had it not resulted in the two being even more reticent than their predecessor. As much as he wanted to stay and observe them, it seemed this experiment was going to take a bit longer than he had anticipated.  
  
“Well, I suppose that’s enough for today,” Rumplestiltskin said, forcing fake cheer into his voice. “I’m sure you boys need your rest after such a backbreaking day.” When no one seemed to find his quip funny, he scowled. He was certain that two hundred years ago that joke would have gotten him at least a chuckle or two.

Though she hadn’t laughed, Belle had perked up at his mention of finishing for the day. She flew over to him, settling herself in his pocket without a word.

“I’ll be checking in on you gentlemen from time to time,” he said. “Do let me know if any…surprises arise. You know how I take a vested interest in your work.”

One man nodded slowly, avoiding Rumplestiltskin’s eyes. The other met his gaze squarely, giving a short, decisive nod. Filing the information away for later, he turned on his heel and left the lab.

Belle was silent as they made their way out into the street and back toward the city’s square. He let her stew for several minutes until he spoke.

“If you think any harder, your tiny brain is liable to explode.”

“What?” Belle asked, startled. “I - oh, I don’t know. I suppose I’m just confused.”

He nodded. “About the serum?”

She shook her head. “No, I think I understand that. Initially, I had no idea, but things started coming together once you started asking them questions afterwards.”

“Yet something’s clearly eating at you, my dear,” Rumplestiltskin said, noticing the way Belle was gnawing on her bottom lip. “Spit it out.”

“It’s just - something about this feels weird to me.”

He grinned. “I wouldn’t worry if I were you. Jekyll has that effect on most people.”

“No, not that. I can’t shake the feeling that something about this seems familiar.”

“Hmm, I never suspected Blue of throwing those kinds of parties. It’s a wonder the Enchanted Forest is still standing.”

Belle rolled her eyes, but her face broke into a grin at his quip. Her spirits seemed to lift after that and she began to question him more about how he’d met Jekyll. He answered her questions as they walked towards the marketplace, his pace unhurried as he gave her a somewhat edited version of his interactions with the doctor.

“I can’t imagine how much self-hatred it must take to do that to yourself,” Belle said. “What person in their right mind would want to rip away part of themselves like that?”

Rumplestiltskin shifted uncomfortably. “No idea, dearie.”

She shook her head. “I’m sure I’ll remember eventually. It’s like something’s hovering just out of reach and I can’t put my finger on it.”

“It is a rather tiny finger,” he joked, before feeling a hard poke to his chest. “Ouch.” He looked down to find Belle smirking up at him.

“Seems to works well enough.”

He scowled. “Aren’t fairies supposed to be nice? You’re rather violent.”

“And you’re rude!”

“Well, I could be much worse.”

“Hmm, that is true. But you're not.”

They had finally reached the outer edge of the marketplace and Rumplestiltskin’s eyes fell on an old stone fountain. “We shall see about that,” he thought to himself, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Two fairies were flitting about the fountain, buzzing through the air like giant gnats. There were always a few here during market days; it seemed to be a favorite spot for the vermin. As he watched, the two transformed to human size, sitting on the edge of the fountain to soak their feet in the water. Such a feat of magic clearly marked them as one of the higher order of fairies, a distinction which came with some ridiculous title he could never remember - ‘protectors’ or ‘godmothers’, he thought.

Unlike common garden pixies like Belle, whose magic was often limited to helping flowers or crops grow, those of the upper classes were able to wield more extensive magic, such as changing their size at will or transforming living or inanimate objects, especially when aided by fairy dust. There were of course more nuances to the hierarchy of fairy society, and he’d learned it all long ago when researching the little fleas, but so far he hadn’t found the information useful in his vendetta against Blue.

“Shit,” Belle said, ducking into his pocket.

He saw the two fairies frown at them, whispering furiously to one another. One of the fairies, a blonde clothed in green, he recognized as a close associate of Blue’s.

“Something the matter?” he asked. “I take it they’re not friends of yours?”

“Yeah,” Belle replied hesitantly, her voice muffled by his shirt. “You could say that.”

This gave him pause. To his knowledge, the different echelons of fairies didn’t have much interaction; except for Blue of course, who made it her business to know everything about everybody. Perhaps he’d need to brush up on his knowledge of fairy society, after all. Either way, it seemed his gamble of bringing Belle to the fairy fountain had paid off.

He’d known pushing her for answers wouldn’t result in anything except giving himself a headache. He’d been waiting for her to tip her hand for weeks, watching her closely for any clues to what she was hiding. When that tactic had brought him nothing but irritation, he’d decided to confront her directly, knowing he most likely wouldn’t gain any real answers. But he wanted to see how Belle would respond under pressure and if she would inadvertently let any hints slip, either then or in the future. People who were flustered often went out of their way to make sure they didn’t give anything away, often achieving the opposite of what they intended by overcompensating. It had been time to see how Belle would react when brought face to face with her past. She’d been growing far too comfortable at the Dark Castle; it was time to make her squirm.

“How interesting,” Rumplestiltskin said. With a flick of his hand, they disappeared from the square in a showy puff of purple smoke. There had been no reason to stay any longer. After only a short trip, he was now that much closer to knowing exactly what his little fairy was hiding from him. Which meant he was one step closer to destroying Blue.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fairy Gardener prompt: The Blue Fairy comes looking for Belle or confronts Rumple when he's out somewhere about Belle. Rumple protects his little fairy friend.

Gossip travels fast in the Enchanted Forest, especially when carried on the speedy wings of fairies. Rumplestiltskin had expected the Blue Fairy to make an appearance within a day or two of their trip to the marketplace, so he was hardly surprised to find her on his grounds the next morning.

His only warning that the fairy queen had arrived was a squeal and a streak of white light as Belle flew through the open window to the other side of the Great Hall, hiding behind a fat tome on the bookshelves.

Rumplestiltskin grinned. He’d been looking forward to this meeting.

With a wave of his hand, a black dragonhide coat appeared over his simple silk shirt, covering him like armor. Blue was expecting the big, bad Dark One, so it seemed only polite that he should dress the part.

A moment later, he appeared silently in the garden. Big shows of smoke were for impressing those with little or no magic ability; such theatrics would be wasted on someone like Blue, whose power was in league with his own. Besides, if he was quiet about it, he had a much better chance of surprising her and putting her on edge. He could hardly pass up such an opportunity.

Unfortunately, the blue bug was waiting for him and didn’t so much as flinch when he popped into existence only four feet in front of her. He didn’t let it disappoint him for too long though, knowing there was still much fun to be had in the next few minutes.

“I’d say welcome to my humble abode, dearie, but we both know I’d be lying through my teeth.”

As disapproving as ever, Blue met his gaze and frowned. “You have one of my fairies. Return her to me now.”

Rumplestiltskin ignored her words, and began to circle around her, enjoying how she had to turn along with him to avoid leaving her back exposed. “I’m well by the way, thank you for asking. I’ve been having some landscaping done around the castle, as you can see. I have the most incredible gardener, Belle - ”

“Return Bluebelle to me at once, Dark One,” Blue demanded, her voice high and grating.

“Or you’ll do what exactly?” He stopped, giving her his most malicious grin, the one he liked to think reminded people of a crocodile. “You’d have killed me long ago if you could. We both know that’s not a real threat.”

He saw her eyes grow cold with fury, but she didn’t argue. As much as he disliked her, Reul Ghorm had walked this earth centuries before he had been born. She was not stupid.

“You’re fond of deals. What do you want for her?”

“She’s not for sale.”

The words left his mouth before he could think, but once they were out, he realized they were true. Belle was too valuable an informant - albeit an unwilling and sometimes unreliable one - to give her up, especially considering how anxious Blue was for her return. He wasn’t sure what use a garden fairy like Belle was to the leader of the fairies, though. Perhaps Reul just needed to keep up appearances so that her reputation as ‘protector of all’ wouldn’t be tarnished. Either way, her anger seemed to be genuine, whether she cared personally for Belle or not.

Then again, maybe she was just angry that he had gotten the upper hand for once. She seemed under the impression that Belle was his captive, which amused him to no end. He was looking forward to ridding her of that notion. Her expression when she discovered one of her own had joined forces with the Dark One willingly was sure to be one he’d cherish.

Blue scoffed at his words. “Everyone has a price. Even you.”

While that was true, he knew she’d never give him the one thing he’d trade anything for. She’d taken Bae away in the first place, after all. She’d never help him be reunited with his son. Just as he would never forgive her for ripping his family apart.

“What exactly did you have in mind, dearie?” he asked, interested in what she’d be willing to offer. Her answer would tell him exactly how much Belle meant to Blue.

“Perhaps if I knew why you kidnapped her in the first place, I could suggest something fitting.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled. Here was his chance to wipe that smug look off of Blue’s face. She’d never had a deserter in her ranks before, and the idea that someone would not only voluntary leave but defect to the enemy would be unthinkable to her. He’d imagined many times how she would react - would she go red with rage and start yelling at him? Or if he was really lucky, would the pressure be too great and her head would simply pop off? Unlikely scenarios, of course, but pleasant to visualize all the same.

He had just opened his mouth to tell her exactly what had happened, when a memory of Belle, face bright with terror and crouching behind a book, leapt to the forefront of his mind. If he told Blue the truth, Belle would never be able to safely leave the Dark Castle again. She’d be marked as surely as he was, and while he had enough power to protect himself from any magic Blue and her minions might throw at him, Belle did not.

In truth, he’d be signing her death warrant.

Suddenly, the prospect of seeing Blue blue in the face didn’t seem as important. He’d made a deal with Belle and if she somehow got herself killed, he would have wasted the last few months, not to mention jars worth of his favorite tea, for nothing. He wasn’t willing to risk that. The battle today was not important; the war tomorrow was.

“You know, I just remembered that I don’t make deals with annoying fairies.” He made a shooing motion with his hands. “Also, you’re trespassing on private property. And I don’t like you.”

She gave him an incredulous look. “You can’t be serious. How in the world could she even be of use to you?”

With those words, Rumplestiltskin saw his chance to have his proverbial cake and eat it too. He’d have to thank Jefferson later. “Why, she tends my garden, dearie,” he said, lacing his voice with all the innuendo and suggestion he could.

Blue’s eyes grew large and her mouth floundered open in what he thought was a fairly good impression of a guppy before finally regaining control of her voice. “You’re disgusting.”

He could tell she wasn’t quite sure whether to believe his insinuation or not, and that was fine by him. It was more important to keep Blue confused and questioning his motives. If she thought Belle and he were somehow involved sexually, that just meant her imagination was more creative than his, because he certainly had no idea how that would work.

Not that he was at all interested in such a thing. He was beyond those kinds of urges at his age. As far as he could figure, his affair with Cora had been an irregularity, most likely a mid-century crisis of some sort. Thank goodness he was safe from anything like that ever happening again.

“Well, I am the Dark One. Disgusting is one of the job requirements.”

Blue’s wings began to flap faster and for a panicked moment, he thought she was about to charge him. But she merely gave him one of those infuriatingly calm smiles of hers. “This isn’t over,” she said haughtily, before flying out of his garden.

He made sure she was truly gone before adding an extra level of protection spells over his grounds. It wouldn’t due to have her sneak back later and kidnap Belle. He hadn’t gone through this whole charade just to lose his best employee.

Appearing back in the Great Hall, he was surprised to find Belle not in the bookshelf where he’d left her, but sitting on the windowsill where she would have had a perfect view of his and Blue’s entire interaction.

She looked up at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “You didn’t give me away. She still doesn’t know I’ve betrayed her.”

Rumplestiltskin grunted. “She also thinks we’re fornicating in the rose bushes, so I wouldn’t thank me just yet.”

The blush that spread across Belle’s cheeks was rather adorable. He scolded himself for bringing up such a thing.

“Regardless of how you did it, thank you,” Belle said, sincerity shining out of her eyes. “For saving my life.”

The tight feeling in his throat was unfamiliar. He cleared it quickly. “No matter.”

His words did nothing to dim Belle’s smile. She flew up until she was level with his face and kissed him on the cheek.

It was just a brush of the lips, so feather light that it felt like he had only imagined it.

Belle’s smile was more self-conscious now, but no less bright. “Well, thank you anyway.”

Rumplestiltskin nodded once, slightly dazed, before disappearing from the Great Hall and reappearing in his lab. He had some books on fairy hierarchy and culture that he wanted to read through. Settling in for the foreseeable future, he tried to push away thoughts of the last couple days so he could concentrate. If he rubbed at the spot on his cheek while he read for the rest of the morning, he pretended not to notice.

He missed the next two meals, choosing to spend the remainder of the day locked away in his lab, reading late into the night. When he went down to breakfast the next morning, he braced himself, preparing to be greeted by an overly cheerful fairy. Instead, he found Belle sitting sulkily at the table in the Great Hall, her eyes suspiciously red.

Torn between wanting to know the cause of her crying and avoiding the topic at any cost, his cowardice won out and he pretended that this breakfast was no different than any of the dozens before it. Despite his attempts to make conversation, Belle seemed more interested in staring at her food than discussing the weather or her plans for the garden. He even tried baiting her a few times to see if she would bite, but the fight seemed to have gone out of her.

Eventually, he returned to his lab, hoping that whatever strange mood had settled over her would be gone by tea time. But when the afternoon rolled around, Belle was still moping the same as she had that morning. When she appeared at the breakfast table the next day, eyes just as red as the morning before, Rumplestiltskin began to grow truly worried.

“Is everything alright?” he asked hesitantly. “You haven’t been your usual annoying self lately.”

The comment earned him a brief quirk of her lips, but nothing more.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“It is not nothing,” Rumplestiltskin said, his voice coming out in a half growl. “You’ve been crying.”

Belle reached up to rub at one of her eyes, as if to rub the puffiness away. “It’s stupid.”

He gentled his tone. “I’d still like to hear it.”

She looked up at him then and he realized it was the first time she had met his eyes in over a day. He held her gaze for a long moment as she seemed to think her words over. “Alright, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to laugh at me.” She took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “At first I was elated after Blue left. I was so afraid she’d take me away and that I’d never see you-your garden again. I was so happy that I could stay here. But then…” She trailed off, suddenly interested in picking at the folds of her dress.

“Then you realized you could never leave here,” Rumplestiltskin said, finishing what he knew in his heart she had been about to say. Though he might have fooled Blue for now, she would most likely find out the truth eventually, and his little fairy would have a target on her back bigger than her wingspan. Belle was too kind to admit that the idea of spending the rest of her life at the Dark Castle with him had kept her up the last two nights crying.

“Sort of,” Belle said. “Let’s just say I realized there was only one path before me and it - it may not be the one I’m interested in.”

He nodded, hearing confirmation of his thoughts in her words. While he’d never been under any illusion that Belle and he were friends - theirs was a business arrangement after all - he’d thought they at least enjoyed each other’s company. Sure, he had been mistrustful of her motives and manipulated her for the better part of a month or so, but apart from that, they’d seemed to co-exist rather well together.

There had been a turning feeling in his stomach for a while now and he finally recognized it for what it was. Guilt. He had been the one to take Belle out on his deal and parade her in front of the other fairies so they could report back to their queen. If he hadn’t done that, Blue might not have found her for a while, if at all. He had effectively trapped Belle here forever. He’d taken her freedom away in one spiteful decision.

For once, he truly felt like a monster.

Wallowing in his own self-pity wasn’t going to improve their situation though. Belle needed a distraction, something that would take her mind off things. His thoughts immediately leapt to Jefferson and he decided to invite the man to tea. He inwardly groaned at the idea, but committed to it all the same. Clearly, he was getting soft in his old age. He never would have considered such a thing in his 200s.

He sent an invitation by magic to Jefferson within the hour, the envelope bearing his personal wax seal of the Dark Castle in black. It added a certain authority to his correspondence, something he could never have afforded in his former life. Belle had always teased him about how pretentious it looked until he had shown her Regina’s blood-red seal that was designed to look as if blood was dripping down the envelope. Belle had conceded that his wasn’t quite as tasteless as the Evil Queen’s and he’d considered it a victory.

As he greeted Jefferson at the door that afternoon, already anticipating the delighted expression that would appear on Belle’s face, he reminded himself of the real reason he was going to so much trouble. A happy fairy was a talkative one and Belle would be much more inclined to share her past history concerning Blue with him.

Within minutes of Jefferson joining them for tea, Belle’s spirits had already improved. By the time they finished their first cup, she was talking animatedly with Jefferson, her giggles filling the air as he related some of his more ridiculous adventures for her. The light had returned to Belle’s eyes and she gazed fondly at the Hatter as he began yet another factually inaccurate story.

Throughout it all, Rumplestiltskin sat at the end of the table, watching them with narrowed eyes. Perhaps, he reflected, this had been a bad idea, after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Everyone check out this amazing fan art that rumpledspinster made of Fairy Belle! https://rumpledspinster.tumblr.com/post/168003934931/prissyhalliwell-your-fairy-gardener-series-is-so 
> 
> In other news, I'm having a Rumbelle giveaway on tumblr! https://prissyhalliwell.tumblr.com/post/168276341371/prissys-600-follower-giveaway


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